


Trouble in Her Brain

by erised_homo



Category: Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe, Mean Girls - Richmond/Benjamin/Fey
Genre: Crossover, F/F, How do I tag?, Slow Burn, janis and veronica are cousins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:08:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28968081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erised_homo/pseuds/erised_homo
Summary: Veronica Sawyer needed a fresh start. That just happened to be in Chicago, Illinois.Title is A New Brain reference.
Relationships: Cady Heron/Janis Sarkisian, Heather McNamara/Veronica Sawyer
Comments: 17
Kudos: 36





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Heathers chapter; I'm going to alternate point of views from Veronica and Janis. I hope someone enjoys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a pretty Veronica-centered fic, although the Mean Girls characters are also main characters.

Bang. 

Veronica buried herself further into the closet, deeper into the itchy blue fabric. 

Bang.

The door shook. She inhaled sharply, shaking.

Bang. 

The door burst open, the rusty hinges falling to the ground. He stood above Veronica, beaming, and pulled out a pistol. 

“Our love is god, baby.” He kneeled and grabbed the collar of her shirt. She was sobbing now, screaming, but no sound came out. He shoved the barrel of the gun right at her chest. 

Bang.

Veronica shot up, gasping for breath. She searched the room, clutching her sheets. Her bed was damp with sweat. She exhaled deeply, closing her eyes. 

This wasn’t the first time this had happened. She hadn’t had a good nights sleep since ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶d̶ ̶k̶i̶l̶l̶e̶d̶ ̶H̶e̶a̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ Heather had died. She rubbed her eyes, sighing. 

She missed him so much. He didn’t deserve that. He was awful. When she closed her eyes, though, she saw him. 

His melancholy smile. That bomb strapped to his chest. 

She swung her legs off the bed, putting her head in her hands. Her cheeks were wet. 

Ever since J.D. had died, she didn’t trust herself. She hadn’t done anything to stop him. She deserved to die right along with him. Heather, Kurt and Ram had died because of her. They didn’t get to escape high school, what gave her the right to keep going? 

Not to mention what it had done to others. Like.. like Heather McNamara. Heather had tried- she almost ended it because of what Veronica had done. Life could have been beautiful, if Veronica and J.D. hadn’t decided to play god. Veronica laughed bitterly, throwing her pillow over her face. That was all she had wanted before, for people to be better. Now, ironically, she was the lowest of them all.

Needless to say, Veronica didn’t sleep the rest of the night.

* * *

  
  


The next morning, Veronica managed to drag herself out of bed, though she wasn’t entirely sure why. She and Martha barely spoke anymore, even after her desperate attempts to repair what she had destroyed. Heather Chandler appeared every once in a while to taunt her, as if Veronica didn’t already blame herself enough. Her parents had no clue what to do with her, and frankly, she couldn’t blame them.

But then there was Mac. Sweet, beautiful Mac. She was the only one who knew what happened. Somehow, she still stood by Veronica. Mac had given Veronica some sense of value and importance. If someone as good as Mac still wanted to be her friend, she couldn’t be that horrible. 

To be fair, Mac isn't the best person either. She was trying to improve, though. They all were. 

After quickly changing and grabbing her phone, Veronica opened the door and trudged downstairs, rubbing her eyes. Her parents weren’t up yet, and the kitchen was empty. She grabbed a coffee filter, and started brewing a pot of coffee. These days, running on minimal sleep, she had coffee and redbull running through her veins. It probably wasn’t healthy, but hey, was anything she did to cope healthy?

She ran a hand through her hair, trying in vain to flatten it out as she waited for the coffee to brew. She idly tapped her fingers, staring at the coffee machine. 

Once the coffee had finished brewing, she grabbed the pot and poured it out into an empty mug. She stared at it for a few minutes. Lately, her motivation to do anything had disappeared. There was no point. 

After a few moments, she grabbed the mug and walked over to the living room couch, plopping down. She lifted the cup to her lips, sipping the coffee. It was lukewarm already, having sat on the counter for several minutes. Sighing, she set the cup down. 

She took out her phone, scrolling slackly through twitter. Like always, it was a cesspool of hate and idiocy. Veronica loved it.

Soon enough, her parents had come down. They cast a worried glance her way, like always. Nothing was said, though, like always. 

After wasting her time for about half an hour, Veronica stood up. “I’m gonna go meet Heather! See you guys,” she called out to her parents, as she walked over to the door. “Be back by 7 and be safe,” Mrs. Sawyer reminded her, hollering from the other room. Rolling her eyes, Veronica grabbed her keys and swung open the door.

Spring had just arrived, but the Winter chill still remained. Donning only her blue blazer, a thin white shirt, and her skirt, she shivered from the cold. She made her way to her car, swinging open the door and climbing in.

She jammed the key into the ignition. The car often took several minutes and attempts to get the car to go. Maybe she’d get lucky, although she often didn’t. She turned the key, and although it sputtered for a few seconds, it didn’t start. 

“Dammit..,” Veronica muttered, trying again to start the car. Luckily, this time it started. She gripped the steering wheel, and started driving to Macs. 

The drive to Heather’s was rather long, as she was fucking loaded and lived in the rich neighborhood thirty minutes away. She lived near the edge of Sherwood, far away from most things in the rather small town. 

Soon enough, she reached Elk Woods, the neighborhood where the McNamara residence resided. Veronica pulled up to the gate, cranking down her windows. The place required an ID and a reason for entry. 

“ID, please,” the woman operating the gates asked, in a bored voice. Veronica whipped out her ID, showing it to the woman. “Visiting the McNamara residence,” Veronica added. The woman nodded, opening the gates. 

She felt out of place in the neighborhood, in her beaten old Corolla. The entire neighborhood was full of mansions and manors. 

She felt a brief pang of guilt as she passed by the previous residence of the late Heather Chandler. Veronica trained her eyes on the road, trying to ignore the feeling.

After a few more minutes of driving, she arrived at the home of Heather McNamara. Calling it a home was a bit of an understatement- it was a goddamn mansion. The ornate building had 4 stories, a giant-ass fountain, and even a lake in the backyard. It was rather intimidating. 

Veronica climbed out of the car, trudging up the path to the front door of the mansion. She grabbed the knocker and pounded on the door. It was curtly opened by Boyle, the McNamaras butler. Veronica had come by enough times that Boyle already knew what she was here for. “Ms. McNamara is up in her room. You’re welcome to go up there,” Boyle told her, motioning for her to enter. Veronica nodded, taking in the lobby of the home. 

She had been in the mansion many times, but it still amazed her every time. The sheer size of the place was stunning, much less the ornate design of the room. She started to navigate the complex halls of the mansion. After taking a few wrong turns, climbing a few staircases, and mentally kicking herself for far too long, she finally reached the room of Heather McNamara.

Veronica swung open the door, “What’s up, bitches!” Veronica paused for a second, “Bitch. But bitches sounds better. Whatever. What’s up, bitch!” 

Mac, who was previously lounging on her bed scrolling through her phone, had jumped up and was preparing to throw her phone at Veronica. After a few seconds, she relaxed and lowered her phone, “Christ, Ronnie, would it hurt to knock?” She sighed, plopping back down onto her obnoxious yellow bed. 

Everything in that room was an obnoxious shade of yellow, including Mac herself. Veronica loved her, but god, her taste in colors was off. 

“Can’t knock. It’s not in my bones,” Veronica strided in, sitting herself down right next to Mac. Mac was wearing a yellow silk nightgown, still looking half asleep. Veronica thought she looked nice. She pushed that thought away pretty quickly. 

“Maybe if I annoy you enough, something will change,” Mac pondered, glancing at the girl to her right. “Am I not perfect the way I am?” Veronica put a hand over her chest in mock offence. 

“’Course you are,” Mac responded quietly, face flushed. 

After that, they settled into a companionable silence, each girl stealing glances at the other every few minutes. 

“Do you ever miss him?” Mac asked, out of the blue, “J.D., I mean. Even though he was awful.” Veronica turned to face Mac, thinking for only a moment before answering. “I mean, yeah. It was just- I loved him, y’know? Even if he was awful,” she paused, “Do you miss Heather?” Mac rubbed her temples. “Sometimes. I know she cared, even if she.. Didn’t exactly show it in the right way.” 

Veronica chuckled, “Definitely.”

Another silence followed, but this one was more awkward and unsure. 

“I’m sorry,” Veronica whispered. “This is my fault.” 

Mac snapped her head, glaring at Veronica. “Ronnie. Look at me.” Veronica raised her head, looking anxiously at Mac. Mac grabbed her hand. “Don’t ever feel like this is your fault. He did this. He manipulated you and you couldn’t have known or done anything.” Veronica interjected, “But I could’ve-” “Nope. No buts,” Mac cut her off. “You saved my life. I would be dead right now without you. And even now, you’d be the only one who really cared if I was.” 

Veronica threw herself onto Mac, hugging her tight. “Thank you,” she mumbled into Macs shirt. After Mac got over the initial shock, she returned the hug, muttering a quick “no problem.”

They stayed like that for a while, with Veronica’s head buried into Macs shoulder. Veronica felt safe there, in Macs arms. A strange feeling of deja vu washed over the both of them. 

After about a half hour like that, they finally broke apart. Veronica cleared her throat, “So, want to go get food?” Mac, who was still rather flustered and unsure, simply nodded. “Nice,” Veronica bit her lip, standing up. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


“God, the food here is disgusting,” Mac giggled. “But it’s also the best,” Veronica interjected. “Trueeeee,” Mac conceded. 

The diner they had chosen was a small family-owned place by the edge of town. Nobody ever came there, and as such, it had become Mac and Veronica’s hang out. The food there was horrible, but they had become accustomed to it and loved it nonetheless. 

The dim neon light of the diner almost seemed to make Mac glow. It was almost magical. 

“Uh… Ronnie?” Mac poked her with a straw. Veronica realized she had been staring. “Oh, uh. Sorry.”

Veronica glanced at her watch. 6. “Damn, I got to get home.” Mac poutted. “Can’t you just.. Not?” Veronica sighed, “My parents want me home by 7, after everything that happened.” Mac nodded, before asking, “Do they.. y’know, know?” Veronica shook her head, “Nah, they just worry after what happened with J.D.” 

The girls both stood, thanking the bored looking teenager operating the register on their way out. It was starting to get dark, and the stars were starting to come out. “Nice night,” Veronica commented, staring up at the sky. 

“Yeah,” Mac agreed, although she wasn’t really looking at the sky. 

“Anyway, you should probably drive me home now if you’re going to get home before your bedtime,” Mac teased, opening the passenger side door. Veronica scoffed, climbing into the car.

After a few unsuccessful attempts to start the ignition, the car turned on. “Thank god,” Veronica muttered, starting to pull out of the parking space. 

* * *

  
  


“Hey, I’m home!” Veronica slammed the door behind her, walking into the house. 

Her parents, who were sitting on the couch in the living room, turned to face her. “Hey, honey, could you sit down?” Mrs. Sawyer asked awkwardly, patting the couch. Veronica raised her eyebrows, walking over to them and sitting down. “What’s up..?”

Veronica shifted uncomfortably. Her parents hadn’t really tried to talk to her since what happened the night he had broken in. She knew she had scared the shit out of her mom. They hadn’t talked about it, though.

“We think it would be good for you to have a change of scenery,” Mr. Sawyer said gently, trying to gauge Veronica’s reaction. “What? Why?” Veronica stared at her parents in shock. She knew things weren’t the best with them, but she didn’t they’d send her away. 

“We want you to stay at your Aunt Sarkisian’s in Chicago for the rest of senior year. A new environment could help a lot with all the stuff you’re dealing with,” Mrs. Sawyer explained, taking Veronica’s hand, “We know things haven’t been easy for you, and we know you don’t want to talk with us about it.” 

Veronica didn’t know how to respond.

“There’s a therapist there who would like to speak with you. She saw your cousin, Janis, too,” her father added. 

“I don’t need a therapist! I’m fine here,” Veronica argued, breaking out of her shock. Her mother sighed. “I know you don’t want to do this, but this is what’s best for you.” 

Veronica stood up, indignant. “Heather needs me here! You saw what happened during the assembly. What if something like that happens again?” 

Her mother rubbed her temples. “This isn’t a discussion. You’re going, and I know you don’t agree with it, but I promise you this will help.”

* * *

  
  


Veronica lie in bed, staring at the ceiling. 

She hadn’t told Mac yet. She couldn’t. Mac didn’t have anyone else; they needed each other. 

She picked up her phone, staring at it for a few minutes before opening up the messages app. 

_I have something to tell you._ She quickly deleted it, deciding it was too dramatic. _I’m being forced to move 3 hours away_. No, that was too straightforward. Veronica put her head in her hands, massaging her temples. How was she supposed to just tell her?

_Ronnie: Can you call?_

Yeah, that was good. She pressed send, waiting anxiously for a reply. After a few minutes, she received a text back. 

  
  


_Mac: Yeah_

_Mac: Is something wrong?_

Veronica elected not to answer that, instead just calling her. 

After a few rings, Mac picked it up. 

“Hey, Ron. What’s going on?” Mac quickly inquired, sounding anxious. Veronica was hit with the sudden urge to cry. “Hey. Um- well- my parents want me to finish my senior year in- in Chicago,” Veronica managed to choke out. 

The line was silent for a bit.

“You’re kidding, right?” Mac managed to respond. She sounded like she was on the verge of tears. “No. My, uh, my aunt has a place there. They want me to see a shrink.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Um, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later, Veronica.”

The call ended. Veronica flopped onto her bed, sighing. Mac never called her Veronica.

“That went horribly.” 

Veronica shot up, searching her room for the voice, before settling on none other than Heather Chandler. “Heather.” 

Heather Chandler made a face. “So rude.” Veronica snorted, enjoying the irony of the situation. It was almost funny, how horrible everything was. 

“You should’ve told her in person, would’ve gone down a lot better,” Heather snidely informed her. “Thank you so much for your input, Heather. Care to leave me now?” 

Heather sneered. She quickly disappeared. Veronica flopped back onto the bed, throwing a pillow over her face. 

How very.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope someone enjoyed! I'll try to update weekly, but I probably won't stick with that. 
> 
> The Mean Girls characters come in next chapter, I promise.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heather is still not responding to Veronica's texts, and moving day is approaching.

It had been two days, and Mac had still not responded to any of her texts. 

  
Veronica was yet again lying on her bed, habitually checking her phone every few minutes. She doubted she would get a response, but she couldn’t stop herself. 

She was supposed to leave tomorrow; her parents wanted her to be at her aunts before the end of break. She was supposed to be packing right now, but, as with most things, she couldn’t find the motivation. 

It was so pointless; she would waste her time for a few hours, then she’d pack in a hurry the next morning fifteen minutes before she leaves. 

Nothing had a point; she would leave Mac behind, and she would be alone in Chicago. 

“Your angst can get _so_ ridiculous, Veronica,” Chandler said in a rather dry, scratchy voice. She was sitting with her legs crossed, picking at her nails on the bed next to Veronica. 

Veronica rolled her eyes, throwing her phone through the apparition. It passed right through her, as expected. “Why do you even stick around, then?” Veronica glared at the girl, trying not to focus on the blue dripping out of her mouth, “Just to make snarky comments?”

“The afterlife is boring, Sawyer. And you know, if it hadn’t been for you and Jessie James, I wouldn’t be here,” Heather responded snidely, looking up from her nails to glare back at the girl. The brunet averted her eyes, staring at her lap. 

“Anyways, I’m not surprised you screwed up things with Heather, you always were a dumb little fuck, but I was rather dissapointed. You’re like the only good thing on TV,” Heather droned on, ignoring Veronica’s guilty look. 

“Besides, I can help you! You’re gonna have to go to school in the big city. I can help you not screw it all up. You know-” Heather had a short coughing fit, spitting out more drain cleaner and wrinkling her nose, “You’d be nothing without me.” 

Veronica elected to ignore that. “I don’t _need_ your help, Heather. I would’ve been fine without you.” Heather scoffed, shaking her head. “You wanted this, Veronica. Don’t blame me for your shitty choices.” 

Heather Chandler disappeared, somehow making Veronica feel worse than before.

  
  
  
  


“I wish you’d come with me!” Veronica begged, reaching her hand out for J.D. to take. The harsh red light hit his face, almost making him look like a demon. He snarled, “I wish I had more TNT!” He reached for something in his pocket, but Veronica was quicker.

The mallet hit J.D.’s face with a satisfying crack. He touched his bloodied face, scowling. She went in for another hit, gritting her teeth. He quickly grabbed the mallet, stopping it before it hit him. He twisted it out her hand, tossing it aside. There was a hiss from one of the pipes, blowing J.D. in the face. 

She inhaled sharply, sweating from the heat of the boiler room. He yelped in surprise, quickly pulling out a gun and aiming it between Veronica’s eyes. 

Above the boiler room, they could hear the ongoing pep rally. J.D. stared at Veronica, keeping the gun trained at her. He scowled, muttering, “Shoulda helped me, Ronnie.” 

Bang. 

Veronica bolted upright, panting. She clutched her bed sheets, looking around the room. She threw the sheets off, standing up. She shrugged on her blue blazer, throwing open her door. She ran down the stairs, feeling a weird sense of urgency. Snatching the keys off the counter, she ran out the front door. 

Praying to whatever thing was up there, she swung open the door, jamming the keys in the ignition. She hadn’t exactly been quiet, so she figured her parents would run out to find her. 

Apparently, lady luck was on her side. The car started, and she stepped on the gas and peeled out of the driveway. She wasn’t even really sure where she was going, but she knew it was urgent. She bit her lip, pressing down harder on the gas.

She ended up at the Elk Woods residence in 20 minutes, having sped the entire way there. Even now, at 3 A.M., a guard was still operating the gates. 

She stopped at the gate, pulling out her ID. “Veronica Sawyer, visiting the McNamara residence.” The guard raised her eyebrows, staring at the disheveled girl. Nevertheless, she opened the gates. 

Soon enough, she pulled up at the McNamara mansion. She turned off the car, swinging open the door and stepping out into the cool air. The night was clear, and you could even see some stars. Veronica took in the sight, wandering up the path to the door. 

When she arrived at the door, she realized she probably shouldn’t be at the mansion at 3 A.M. in the morning. She couldn’t knock; Boyle wouldn’t open the door. She reached for her phone. She sighed in frustration, realizing she hadn’t grabbed her phone on the way out. Great.

After circling the house, she found a pipe she could climb to get to Mac’s room. Was that weird as fuck? Absolutely. Was it a bad idea? Probably. Would she do it anyway?

Well, she was about halfway up already. 

She almost fell three times, but in the end she made it up. She knocked on the window, trying to get Mac’s attention.

She figured Mac was asleep; I mean, it was 3 A.M. 

Three minutes of knocking later, Mac finally woke up and heard the knocking. She came to the window, holding her old croquet mallet. 

Veronica smiled weakly, still hanging onto the pipe. 

Mac stared at Veronica, shaking her head. She dropped the mallet, sighing. 

Once she had opened the window, Veronica climbed in. “Hey.” 

“What the fuck are you doing at my house at 3 A.M.?” Mac hissed, pacing back and forth through her room. 

Veronica thought for a few seconds, before answering, “I have absolutely no clue.” 

Mac paced in silence for a few minutes, glaring at Veronica every few moments. 

“Uh, how are you..?” Veronica nervously asked. Mac abruptly stopped pacing, snapping her head at Veronica. 

“Tired and pissed.” Mac paused, exhaling deeply. “Sorry, that was mean.”

Mac sat down on her bed, holding her head in her hands. Veronica shuffled her feet awkwardly, looking around the room. “Oh my god, Ronnie, just sit down,” Mac muttered, looking up at Veronica. 

Veronica warily sat next to her. “When are you leaving?” Mac wrung her hands, pointedly looking away from Veronica. Although she asked, she didn’t particularly want an answer. 

“Tomorrow.”

“Oh.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Veronica stared at the floor, not knowing what she could say. 

Silence was not uncommon whenever they hung out. Just knowing another person was there and cared was enough. Now, however, it was as if there was a divide between the two. 

Mac sniffled, rubbing her nose. Veronica glanced at Mac, concerned. The smaller girl was crying.

“Hey, it’s- it’s gonna be ok. It’s only 3 hours. We can meet halfway on weekends,” Veronica awkwardly patted her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Heather locked eyes with her, a sob erupting out of her. She threw herself onto Veronica, hugging her tight.

After a few moments of sitting in shock, Veronica wrapped her arms around the smaller girl. They stayed like that for a while. Eventually, Mac had passed out. 

Mac looked so at peace, like there was nothing outside of that room. It was just the two of them. Veronica could’ve stayed there forever. 

Being with Mac was so different then with J.D.; J.D.’s touch was cold and possessive. He always had some sort of grip on her, subtly letting her know that she couldn’t leave. It was safe, though. 

However, Mac’s touch was warm. It was hesitant, as though she was prepared for Veronica to leave. Like she expected her to leave. 

Veronica held her a bit closer after she figured that out.

Mac always seemed so tense when she was awake. She retreated into her shell, with hunched shoulders and an awkward posture. When she was asleep, though, all that was gone. She was relaxed and calm. 

Veronica stared lovingly at the girl in her arms. Mac’s lips were slightly parted, with a few locks of golden hair hanging in her face. Veronica gently brushed the hair to the side. 

Veronica felt a small flutter in her stomach. She tried exceptionally hard to push that feeling down. Instead, she shut her eyes tight.

For the first time in weeks, she was able to rest.

  
  
  
  
  


The warm morning light came in through the window, hitting Mac’s face. Veronica smiled serenely at the blonde. 

Then she realized where she was.

“Fuck, fuck, shit, fuck..” Veronicas eyes widened, realizing she was still in the obnoxiously yellow bed. She sat up, staring frantically around the room. 

Not knowing what else to do, she shook Mac awake. “Dude, c’mon..” Veronica muttered. Mac groaned, her eyes fluttering open. “Wha..?”

“I have to go. My parents don’t know I’m here.” 

Mac sat up, rubbing her eyes. “I guess you should probably go before they call the cops or something,” Mac murmured tiredly. Veronica nodded, standing up. 

  
She stood for a second, thinking. Shrugging off her bright blue blazer, she handed it to the blonde. Veronica jokingly said, “Something to remember me by.” Mac snorted, taking the blazer. “As if I’m not going to text you every day.” 

“And call,” Veronica added, walking over to the window. She took in the bright yellow room, for the last time in a while. Veronica swung her legs through the window frame, mentally preparing to slide back down the pipe. 

“Wait, Ronnie!” Mac swiped her yellow blazer, handing it to Veronica. “Might as well, right? I know it’s probably too small because, y’know,” she made a vague, rather awkward gesture with her hands, “But I want you to have it.” Veronica took the jacket, smiling sadly at Mac. “See ya in a bit?” 

Mac bit her lip, nodding. “Yeah.” She paused for a second, before leaning up and quickly pecking Veronica on the cheek. “See ya.”

Veronica had a strange and inexplicable warmth in her chest, flushing bright red. She elected to ignore it, instead giving Mac a small wave. She gripped the pipe, preparing to make her way back down. 

She made her way down the pipe, still clutching the yellow blazer. By the looks of it, it was maybe 7 in the morning. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting a golden light on all the homes throughout the neighborhood. 

When she reached the bottom, she began trudging back to her car, rubbing her eyes. 

She stared at the jacket. It seemed like it would be a bit too small; Mac was rather petite. Nevertheless, she shrugged on the blazer. As she had suspected, it was a bit small, although she could still wear it comfortably. It smelled faintly of Heather, like lemon and vanilla. 

She continued down the paved walkway, until she reached her car. She pulled open the door, crawling into the car. She sunk into the warm leather, sighing. 

She brought her hand to her cheek, which was still flushed a bright red. This was something friends always did, right? There was nothing to it, and she shouldn’t even be thinking of it that much.

She shook her head. Luckily, the stars had aligned and her car started on the first try. She smiled faintly, gripping the steering wheel.

Her parents would be so pissed when she got back. Looking back, she probably should have left a note letting them know. However, at the time, she hadn’t had the foresight to think of that. 

She started driving back to the house. Maybe if she was lucky, she could get home before her parents woke up. The roads were starting to get clogged up with people commuting to work. Just her luck. She gritted her teeth, tapping the steering wheel.

She thought about how bad the roads would be in Chicago, since it’s a rather large city (despite her aunt and cousin living in the suburbs). This time tomorrow, she would be in a strange, unknown city, likely alone. 

It was almost funny, how fucked up everything was in her life. She supposed it was her fault; she had played along with J.D.’s screwed up sense of justice. Now four people were dead, and she couldn’t help but think she should be the fifth. 

She shook her head, trying to push down the feeling.

That seemed to be her solution for most things nowadays. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


“What were you doing that was so urgent you left at _3 A.M.?_ ” Veronica’s mom hissed, pacing through the room. 

“I told you, I went to Mac’s house!” Veronica responded, exasperated. 

“At 3 A.M., Veronica? Without so much as a note? We thought something had happened to you!” She stopped pacing, massaging her temples. “Why did you even need to go there?” 

“I don’t know! I just.. needed to..” Veronica trailed off. “Look, honey, you can tell us anything,” her father said softly, trying to empathize with Veronica. 

“I don’t need to go to Chicago! I’m fine.” Veronica insisted, lying through her teeth. She couldn’t tell her parents about half- not even half, actually- of the shit she did, and a simple ‘I’m fine’ didn’t do any of her struggles justice. It was the easiest thing, though. 

“Do we have to go through this again, Veronica?” Her mother sighed, sitting down at the kitchen counter. Veronica shook her head dejectedly. “No, I know.” 

“Good. We’re leaving in a few hours. Are you packed?” 

Veronica simply nodded, standing up. There was no point in arguing further; she had no control over this. It’s not as though she had control over anything. They wouldn’t understand, anyway. 

That sounded like stereotypical teen bullshit, even to Veronica, but she figured this was one of the few instances where this was actually a valid thought. She doubted much of anyone could understand what it was like after you murder are manipulated into murdering three people and watching a fourth blow themselves into bits on the football field. 

Veronica trudged up to her bedroom. It felt rather empty without numerous books and papers strewn about. The room was rather boring to begin with, though, with bare, baby blue walls, a desk that was usually full of papers and stationary, and a bookcase. She had packed rather sparingly; just an assortment of clothes, a few books, and her diary. 

She dragged her feet over to the corner of the room, where she had thrown her phone the night before. The screen was cracked, but there seemed to be no other damage. There were, however, several calls, messages, and voicemails from her parents, frantically trying to contact her.

She bit the inside of her cheek, swiping away the notifications. She felt a twinge of guilt, thinking about how worried they probably were. This was probably another reason they felt sending her off to Chicago with her aunt would be helpful.

It had been years since she had seen her aunt and cousin. They had stopped visiting when Veronica was around 14. She supposed Janis would be around her age now, although she had trouble thinking of her as anything other than the small, overly energetic 13 year old. They had been really close as kids, so hopefully that somewhat carried over. If not, it would be a horribly awkward 4 months. 

Veronica sighed, flopping onto her unmade bed. They would be leaving around 10, so she had a few hours to kill. It wouldn’t be too hard; that’s pretty much what she had been doing for a while now. She grabbed her charger and plugged in her phone, which was running a bit low. She elected to scroll through Twitter, which was currently angry about yet another stupid thing some random B list celebrity had said. 

After an hour of absentminded scrolling, her phone pinged. She opened up the notification, which turned out to be a message from Mac. 

It was a picture of her beaming with the blue blazer on, holding up a peace sign. The blazer was a few sizes too big on her, hanging awkwardly off her petite figure. 

_Mac: It’s been like_

_Two hours and i already miss you_

_The blazers nice tho_

Veronica chuckled, writing back a quick response. 

_Ronnie: Thats cute :0_

_Ronnie: Idk how im gonna survive without you_

_Mac: you wont have time to miss me because ill be texting you all the time_

_Ronnie: i would be disappointed if you didnt_

_Mac: dont forget me when your hanging with cool city people_

_Ronnie: im going to ignore your incorrect use of your_

_Ronnie: also you’re like_

_Ronnie: my best friend_

_Ronnie: couldn’t forget you if i tried_

_Mac: aw :D_

Veronica smiled softly, feeling a strange mix of melancholy and a surge of love for the blonde. Just months ago, she would’ve thought this was about as unlikely as Heather Chandler becoming a priest. Now, however, it seemed as though Heather McNamara was the only thing keeping her lifeboat afloat, as Mac had so eloquently phrased it.

She sighed, unplugging her phone, which was now at full charge. It was around 9:45, a few minutes before they were supposed to leave. Veronica stood up, grabbing the handle on her suitcase. She glanced around her bare room, standing with her hand on the doorknob. She had lived in that room for 17 years. She was leaving behind so much; her parents, her friend, her entire life. She was also leaving the haunting memories of what had happened in this town, in this very room. 

She glanced over to the closet, although she tried not to focus on it. The door was still slightly ajar, still unmoved from that night. She could swear she saw J.D. standing in front of the door, pounding on it. Her eyes quickly flitted away, trying hard to push it down. J.D. was dead. She was ok. 

  
  
  
  
  


The car ride was excruciatingly long. They made only one stop to get gas, wanting to make it to the house as quick as possible so her mother wouldn’t have to drive home in the dark. Veronica spent most of the ride scrolling through her phone or staring absent-mindedly staring at the cities they passed.

Veronica leaned her head against the window, watching all the houses and cars go by. They were in her aunt's neighborhood now. It was a rather small community, full of quaint and cozy houses. It was a nice place, although it had been a while since Veronica had been there. 

Eventually, they pulled up to the Sarkisian household. It was a rather quaint ranch-style home, with a faded coat of navy paint and a beaten up front porch. “We’re here. You got all your stuff?” Veronica’s mother asked, turning off the car. Veronica nodded, grabbing her suitcase. She opened the door, climbing out of the car. She rubbed her eyes, gazing up at the house. Her mother had gotten out, too, to talk to her aunt for a bit before she left. 

The two started up the driveway, settling into an awkward silence. Not many people were out, since it was still rather cool out, which served to make the silence between the two women more noticable. 

Veronica lugged her suitcase along, lifting it onto the porch. Her mother had already reached the door and rang the bell. The two stood for a bit, waiting for somebody to open the door.

After a few moments, the door swung open to reveal her Aunt Sarkisian. She was a rather excitable woman in her mid-thirties with long, thin black hair reaching her waist and bright blue eyes. 

“Veronica!” Her aunt cried, holding out her arms. Veronica smiled tiredly, walking into her aunts embrace. “You’ve gotten so big!” She pulled out of the hug, grabbing Veronica’s face. Veronica rolled her eyes, but she was grinning nonetheless. She had forgotten how energetic her aunt could be. “Hey, Aunt Sarkisian.”

Her mother, who was standing awkwardly beside Veronica, cleared her throat. “Hello, Linda,” her aunt turned to look at her mother. The two had never gotten along especially well, although they were fairly civil. “Olive,” her mother offered a curt nod. 

“Well, why don’t you two come inside!” her aunt opened the door a bit wider, “Janis is in her room. You remember where that is, right? Just up the stairs, first door on the left! You can put your suitcase up there, too, you’ll be sharing with her.” Her aunt spoke in a rather quick manner, returning back to her excitable self. Veronica smiled at her aunt, saying a quick thanks and offering a small wave to her mother. 

The house was more or less how she remembered, with mostly black and brown interior and a bunch of plants. There were, however, a bunch of new paintings hung about the house. She figured they must’ve been expensive; they were all incredible. 

Veronica started up the staircase, hauling her suitcase along. It wasn’t too heavy, but it was still rather annoying. 

She reached the top of the stairs, shuffling over to the door to Janis’ room. Silently steeling herself, she took a deep breathe.

Veronica knocked softly and creaked open the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter's from Janis' perspective! Hope you enjoyed and sorry it took so long


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